


A Big Kid Now

by jujitsuelf



Category: The Losers (2010), The Losers - All Media Types
Genre: Backstory, Gen, M/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-05
Updated: 2013-10-05
Packaged: 2017-12-28 11:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/991675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jujitsuelf/pseuds/jujitsuelf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt fill for - Author's Choice - Author's Choice - "I'm a Big Kid Now"</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Big Kid Now

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer – All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended
> 
> ***
> 
> Prompt left by juliet316 at fic_promptly
> 
> ***
> 
> thanks to Cougar's Catnip and Saral_Hylor for the read-throughs

Jessica Jensen had a decent enough life. Yes, her parents argued a lot and maybe that sometimes spilled over into screaming matches in her high school parking lot but hey, who didn’t have to deal with that? It was all part and parcel of growing up, right? Plus, she had something which dissolved the resentment she felt toward her parents. She had Jake.

When Jake was born, Jessica looked at him, saw those great big baby blues and knew she’d fallen in love. She was only five at the time, so she wasn’t entirely certain what love was, but Jake became her entire world.

As they grew, Jessica proudly watched Jake pick up and understand things which older kids struggled with. His quick brain and innate intelligence made swift work of most school subjects. Math and science were his favorites but when he came face to face with a computer for the first time and later spent three hours repeatedly telling Jess how awesome it was, she knew he’d found his forte.

By the time he was fifteen, Jake could dismantle anything and put it back together again, most of the time making it work better than it had in the first place. When he was sixteen he built his own computer and completely confused most of his teachers with its complexity.

Jess knew without being told that Jake was gay. He was never open about it, wisely keeping it to himself and not broadcasting it to all and sundry. Jake talked a lot but knew how to keep secrets.

When he was seen kissing Andy Griggs behind the bleachers, Jess was the one who hissed at people when they mentioned it. She was the one who spray-painted a jock’s prized convertible when he called Jake a fag. She was the one who punched a cheerleader for daring to say that Jake was just a clever asshole with no idea of social skills.

When their parents made the inevitable decision to get a divorce, Jess couldn’t say she was surprised. Neither was she particularly saddened. Jake was, Jake walked around for weeks with a desolate expression on his face which no amount of cake could remove.

The logical thing to do, in Jess’ opinion at least, was for them to get a little apartment together. That way, she could work and Jake could finish school and get ready for college.

On Jake’s eighteenth birthday, he dropped a bombshell.

“Jess?” Jake rubbed the back of his neck and screwed up his face. “I, uh, I’ve got something to tell you.”

“What?” Jess didn’t look up from the vegetables she was chopping for dinner. Living with Jake had its good points, she could make sure he ate properly and didn’t try to survive on take out and Red Bull.

“Um,” he bit at his lip. “I don’t...I mean, I know we’ve always been together and...I don’t know how to say this...”

“Jake?” Jess put down the knife and turned to him, frowning. “What’s up? You’re okay, aren’t you?”

“What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Jake smiled quickly. “I’m good. Better than good actually. I just...er...oh shit, I may as well just say it. I enlisted.”

The kitchen clock ticked off ten loud seconds and threw them into the past.

“Oh.” Jess opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “What?”

“I enlisted,” Jake repeated, looking like the scared eight year old Jess still saw him as. “I joined the army.”

“Why the fuck would you do that?!” Jessica couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. Why in the name of all things holy would her brilliant, clever, mercurial and oh yes, _gay_ brother want to join the US military?

Jake’s smile was brighter now. “Because I wanted to. Been thinking about it for a while. And those recruitment guys came round to see us in school a few months ago. Jess, I can learn so much more in the army than I can at college. I can do stuff, go places. I can do good things. And the pay’s gonna help, right? You can get a nicer place. I’ll send some money back here every month, I promise.”

Jess wiped a hand over her face. Jake had that fervent look in his eyes which mean whatever she said wasn’t going to change his mind.

“You didn’t have to enlist just to get me a nicer apartment, Jake.”

“I didn’t do it just because of that,” Jake leaned against the counter and stole a slice of pepper. “I wanted to, really. It’ll be fun. I’m a big kid now, Jess, I can take care of myself.”

“I know that,” Jess winced at the thought of Jake leaving home. “But, Jake, you’re...you know and the army doesn’t really approve of its men liking other men, does it?”

“So I won’t let anybody know,” Jake shrugged, unconcerned. “Come on, sis, this is good. You believe me, don’t you?”

“I believe you,” Jess said quietly. “But...don’t do anything stupid, okay? Try to avoid telling people who are higher ranks than you that they’re complete morons.”

Jake laughed. “Good point.”

Even though it wasn’t even five in the afternoon, Jess pulled open the booze cupboard and snagged a bottle of bourbon. Jake wasn’t the only one who’d been blessed, or possibly cursed, with a very active imagination. Right now, scenes from every war movie she’d ever seen were flashing in front of Jess’ eyes. Oh God...Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, Apocalypse Now. She squeezed her eyes shut as every actor’s face became Jake’s.

“Sis?” Jake’s worried voice barely penetrated the fog of her brain. “Jess? You okay?”

“No,” Jess replied. “Of course I’m not okay, you idiot. My brother just told me he wants to go and get himself killed. How do you think I am?”

“I’m not going to get myself killed,” Jake laughed and wrapped an arm around Jess’ shoulders. He stole the bottle and took a gulp of bourbon. “Just think, I could be a general one day. General Jake Jensen.”

Jess smiled despite herself. “Yeah, maybe.” She grabbed the bottle back. “Just, promise me one thing?”

Jake nodded.

“Please just be careful. Don’t go shooting your mouth off at people because they’re not as smart as you. Just...I don’t know, keep a low profile? If that’s even possible for somebody like you?”

“Don’t worry, sis,” Jake said confidently, smacking a kiss onto her cheek. “I’ll be a church mouse, promise. Nobody will even know I’m in the army ‘till I’m a Spec Ops badass.”

“Oh God.” Jess drank more bourbon. “You don’t aim low, do you? Now you want to be Spec Ops.”

“Why aim low?” Jake said quietly. “All that gets you is onto the bottom rung of the ladder. ‘Least if you aim a bit higher, you’ve got a chance of getting out of the gutter.”

Jess looked at him and saw that somehow he’d turned into a man. He wasn’t her baby brother any longer. She nodded slowly. “Okay. Private Jensen it is. One day to be General Jensen. I expect an invite to the parties to celebrate each and every promotion.”

“You got it,” Jake smiled. He hugged her and she clung to him for dear life.

“I’m gonna make everything okay,” he whispered into her hair. “You won’t be short on money, you won’t have to work all the hours God sends. I’ll look after us.”

“I know,” Jess whispered back. “Just don’t go getting yourself killed.”

Jake pulled back and flashed her the megawatt smile which made people turn and stare at him. “Hey, this is me we’re talking about. What could possibly go wrong?”

Jess laughed. Yes, it was Jake they were talking about. It was less a case of what could go wrong and more a case of how much damage he could do before the army threw him into jail.

“Okay,” she took one last pull at the bourbon. “Time for dinner, soldier.”

****

Years later, when Jake and Cougar were an item in the eyes of everyone apart from the US military and Clay and Roque sprawled over her couch, hogging the TV every time they had leave and Pooch and Jolene were some of her closest friends, Jess smiled to herself.

Maybe things hadn’t gone as spectacularly wrong as she’d expected them to. Jake was still alive and he had the best team a man could wish for.

She cheerfully chopped vegetables in the kitchen, humming to herself. Jake leaned against the counter beside her and grinned.

“Guess what, rumor is we’re heading to South American soon. Maybe Bolivia. I’ll send you a postcard.”

Jess smiled at him, not really listening to his words. Yes, everything had turned out okay.


End file.
